The annual (This ain’t yo) Momma’s 50k & Trail Marathon has only 1 rule: Rule 62 = Don’t take yourself so damn seriously!! Seriously though we at Sombrero Running Events like to have fun and enjoy the beautiful scenery of this majestic trail here in NEFL. The Pioneer Trail IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL FLORIDA TRAIL, and the reason for that is each section has its own diverse style of terrain with Section 4 (2.7 miles) having some of the most vertical and technical terrain you can find in Florida.
The Pioneer Trail is located in Jennings State Forest in Middleburg, Florida (Jacksonville area) and is a hidden gem that was created in 2019 and is well maintain and mostly single track that has a few waterfalls and walkover stream crossings. It is one of the most diverse trail systems you will find in Florida and has several beautiful vistas and traverses along the Black Creek Ravines.
The 50k course is an out and back that traverses all of the sections of this diverse trail and is the same course as the Marathon with added mileage with an out n back of the newly added Section 5. The Marathon is an out and back course that starts at the Dunns Farm Trailhead and starts out on the newest section the Cross Cut section which is 2.5 miles of flat and scenic single track trail, it then goes into Section 4 which is 2.7 miles and has some beautiful vistas overlooking Black Creek so be sure to take the opportunity to get some scenic pictures on this section. After Section 4 is the “4 way” junction where you join the pink blazes of the trail and it takes you through and over Mt. Reagan (yes we have mountains in Florida) and just after this section you will enter the “enchanted forest” section or section 1 which is the southern terminus and is a flat and scenic 2.5 mile portion until you reach Indian Ford at the turnaround.
There is a 11 hr time limit on the 50k and 10 hr time limit on the marathon.
There is a hard cut off for all runners at 4 pm at the 4 way on the return trip.
12k and 6k Course
The 12k will follow the first 6 miles of the Marathon Course and proceed on the pink Dunns Farm trail back to the 4 way and finish up the last .9 on the flat and beautiful palmetto forest section of the course.
The 6k course will be the same as last year, take the pink dunns farm trail to the shared pink/blue dunns farm loop back to the 4 way and finish on the dunns farm pink trail.
Aid Stations
This will be a cup less race so everyone will need to bring their own hydration vest or handheld bottles for their hydration needs. We will have several aid stations along the course at or about every 2.5 or 3 miles that will have both water and electrolyte nutrition (Tailwind/Skratch) as well as the standard fare for ultra distance races. We will also have at least 1 porta pottie at the turnaround / drop bag site as well as the start / finish line. Aid Station locations are marked on each of the trail maps we have in each of the individual race course descriptions.
Awards
All participants will receive a race shirt as well as finisher’s medals and we will have some unique overall top finishers awards (masters division also) and the coveted SLOW A$$ award to honor the DFL/BOP crowd!! There will also be a special “Momma’s” award given to a special individual. The Awards will be custom made by Brie Los and Wicked Skins Awards, go check out her site she does fabulous work!
Beneficiaries / Presenters
We give back to local organizations with our primary beneficiaries being the Friends of Florida State Forest so they can continued to maintain this beautiful trail we get the opportunity to play on!
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Relatively Small Race, Lots of Fun!
I have run this race all three years and it never disappoints! First off, the race director makes sure everyone feels welcome and has fun by circulating the crowd, chatting … MORE
I have run this race all three years and it never disappoints! First off, the race director makes sure everyone feels welcome and has fun by circulating the crowd, chatting with participants prior to the race and injecting humor into the pre-race briefing.
The course starts off flat for the first couple miles, then gets really hilly! Well, at least as hilly as things get in Florida 🙂 Beautiful scenery throughout the course to distract runners from the difficulty. Mostly single track, with a few wider sections.
Real food at the finish line! This year, it was freshly prepared (onsite) bacon and egg burritos. Fun wooden finisher medals and trophies featuring “Momma”, who gets more fit each year..